


Heartbeat in the Dark

by BlueNeutrino



Series: A Hunter's Heart in an Angel's Hands [8]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: (sort of), Auscultation, Cardiophilia, Established Relationship, Fluff, Heartbeat Kink, Heartbeats, It's not sexual, M/M, Medical Kink, Stething, a bit of angst, but it's really really intimate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-14
Updated: 2014-05-21
Packaged: 2018-01-24 20:37:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1616258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueNeutrino/pseuds/BlueNeutrino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Cas steths Dean, and Dean learns more about his own heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be smuttier, but, well, it turned into pure fluff and I quite liked it. I tried to research the medical details as thoroughly as possible, but mistakes may remain. This may be my kink but I'm not a medical professional, so correct me if you spot any.

Sex with Cas was nice. Better than nice. That really wasn’t something Dean was about to argue on, with anyone, ever. But sometimes, he found that just lying in bed with Cas was nice too. Lying there undressed with their arms wrapped each other, doing nothing more than enjoying each other's presence, could be just as enjoyable as vigorous fucking. Even more pleasant was when they were lying in bed and Cas would listen to Dean’s heart.

It had started with Cas asking to listen to Dean’s heartbeat during sex, wanting to hear it while they were both strained by the energetic activity, but he’d also come to enjoy listening to Dean’s heart while they relaxed. He’d even gotten hold of a stethoscope for that exact purpose, keeping it in the bedroom for times when he’d wanted to hear Dean’s heart as they slept together or _slept together._ Dean had gone along with it, happy to indulge Cas’ kinks no matter how unusual they seemed to him, but he’d also found that he’d come to enjoy it for himself. The intimacy of it was tender and profound, and he was happy to let Cas drive his heart rate up to the max and feel it race, or to simply listen to its steady beat as they drifted off to sleep.

Tonight, Dean was already tired out, having just returned from an almost week-long hunt and ready for the familiar feel of his own bed again and Cas in it beside him. Neither of them were inclined to do anything besides rest, but there was still something Cas had planned as they finished undressing for bed. The angel went to turn off the lights and fetch the stethoscope from the dresser across the room, bringing it over to put on the nightstand. “Get in the bed, Dean, and turn onto your left side,” he instructed, somewhat blunt and commanding as he often could be in the bedroom, but no less loving. Dean did so, not knowing why Cas specifically wanted him to lie on his left side, but he was sure he’d find out soon as Cas joined him.

Dean felt the mattress compress as Cas eased himself into bed behind him, and then there was a solid, warm mass pressed against his back and a hand creeping its way over his waist. Cas leaned in to press a gentle kiss to the bare skin of Dean’s shoulder as his fingers started running their way up his abdomen towards his throat. “Would you like me to feel your heart again?” Cas asked softly.

Dean breathed out steadily, leaning back into the warmth enveloping him from Cas’ chest. “Yes,” he breathed, loving the intimacy that came from letting Cas feel that part of him. “Please.”

Cas pressed his lips into Dean’s neck before murmuring in his ear. “There’s a point on your chest where your heart beats closest to the surface. Let me show you.” His fingers were lightly resting on Dean’s collarbone now, but they began to lightly trace their way back down his sternum and paused once they reached the edge of his pectoral muscle. Then they began to move sideways, coming to rest a couple of inches below Dean’s left nipple, and Castiel pressed his index and middle fingers into the space between Dean’s ribs. He was rewarded with the feel of Dean’s heart fluttering beneath his fingertips.

“There,” Castiel sighed contentedly. “That’s the apex of your heart. I can feel it beating so close to your skin.”

Dean relaxed beneath his touch, continuing to keep his breathing slow and steady as he became more aware of the movement of his own heart. It was thumping steadily inside him, and he found a deep pleasure from the thought that Cas was so close to touching it. He liked the feel of Cas’ fingers pressing into his skin. It was quite comfortable. Pleasant, even. Intimate. His heartbeat was something usually so private that only he could feel, and he liked sharing it with Cas. “Are you going to listen to it?” he asked quietly.

“Yes,” Cas whispered back, allowing his fingers to linger in the space between Dean’s ribs for a few seconds longer before pulling away. Dean sighed as the pressure was removed, aching for Cas’ touch to return to his skin, but he could hear the angel moving behind him to fit in the earpieces of the stethoscope that he’d left beside the bed. “This may be a little cold, Dean,” he warned as his arm moved back over Dean’s chest, this time clutching the steel chestpiece. He set it against Dean’s skin at the point he’d just been touching, and Dean couldn’t help the way his breath hitched from the temperature. “Shh, it’s okay,” Cas soothed, pressing a kiss against his neck. “It’ll warm up soon enough. Breathe deeply for me, Dean, and keep your mouth open.”

Dean did so, focusing on taking slow inhalations to steady his heart as Cas listened intently to the thumping inside his chest. “Beautiful,” the angel murmured, clearly delighted by the sound. “When you lay like this it presses your heart closer against your chest wall, so I can hear it better. It sounds amazing.”

Dean smiled, thrilled that he’d pleased Cas. “Would you like it faster?” he offered, ready to do anything Cas wanted to quicken his pulse.

“Not for now, Dean,” Cas declined gently, lips still ghosting over Dean’s skin. “I love to hear it race, but sometimes it’s nice just to listen to it calm. Allows me to better appreciate it when you get it pounding hard.”

There was a tone of adoration in his voice; something that sounded almost awed, as if there was nothing he treasured more in the world than Dean and was infatuated with the sound of him being alive. That steady, constant beat was something Castiel loved to hear; something strong and enduring that wouldn’t stop until the day Dean Winchester returned to Heaven. Castiel smiled as the steady _thud-thud thud-thud_ of Dean’s heart filled his ears. He was quite fixated on the organ, truth be told, and he wanted to get to know it as intimately as he knew the rest of Dean’s body.

“I want to listen to all of your heart,” he muttered to Dean. “The valves have different sounds depending on where I hear them. You just relax and keep up the deep breathing for me. I’m going to move this to different points on your chest.” He removed the bell from Dean’s skin then, shifting it upwards and right slightly closer to Dean’s clavicle. As he pressed it back down against his chest, Dean’s own hand moved to touch the back of Cas’.

“May I…?” he whispered tentatively. “Can I do it, Cas? I want to show you my heart.”

Cas paused, smiling with warmth at Dean’s offer. “Of course,” he answered. “Here.” He let Dean take over the bell from him, but kept his fingers resting lightly on Dean’s knuckles so that the chestpiece was left in place. The low, almost musical rhythm of Dean’s heart thudded in his ears, slightly faster than before. “That’s your aortic valve,” Cas explained, “It has the lowest sound of the four of them, like a bass drum inside you. It’s incredible.”

Hearing Cas describe his heart that way was inexplicably gratifying for Dean. He wanted to show Cas more, and slowly moved the bell again to a lower point on his chest. He felt very self-conscious then, realising he had no idea where he was supposed to move it to get the best sound, but Cas stroked his wrist encouragingly.

“Try turning it over,” the angel whispered, and then gently moved his hand to guide Dean’s fingers so that he flipped the chestpiece over and instead pressed down the diaphragm against his skin. Dean didn’t understand the workings of the stethoscope enough to know why he should do that, but he let Cas demonstrate it to him so he could better please the angel.

A slightly different sound began to resonate in the earpieces: something flatter and more percussive, where the first part of the _lub-dub_ of Dean’s heartbeat was more pronounced. If the first had been a bass drum, this was a snare. Cas smiled as he listened. “That’s your tricuspid valve,” Cas stated, and Dean chuckled slightly.

“I literally have no idea what you’re saying, Cas,” he said, slightly amused that the angel was wanting to explain everything in so much detail. “But if you’re enjoying it…well, you could start talking Chinese and I wouldn’t mind.”

Cas’ brow furrowed, not quite understanding what he meant. “It’s not Chinese, Dean.”

Again, Dean chuckled softly in affectionate amusement. “I know, Cas.”

“But I am enjoying it though.”

It was said with warm sincerity, and Dean smiled. “I’m glad you are. How does here sound?” He shifted the diaphragm across his chest again, nearer to his apex, and Cas listened to the new sound in silence for a few more seconds.

“Wonderful,” he answered in a low, breathy voice. “That’s your mitral valve. Your heart sounds really strong, Dean. Like it could go on beating forever.”

“Good to know, Cas.”

Dean’s answer was light hearted, but Cas couldn’t stop the ache he felt as it occurred to him that Dean’s heart wouldn’t, in fact, keep beating forever. He was human; he would one day die. Hopefully later rather than sooner, but given the kind of life he led, probably sooner. There would be a final beat of his heart that Cas wouldn’t feel. Or perhaps even worse, he would. It wasn’t a train of thought Cas had wanted to go down, but once it had started he couldn’t stop himself, and he felt a stab of pain in his chest at the thought of losing Dean. He didn’t say anything, but he wrapped his arms tighter around the hunter, protectively pulling him closer to his own body as he focused on the heartbeat that was thumping in his ears. Right now, in this instant, Dean was alive.

Even if he didn’t know the reasons for it, Dean noticed the tightening of Cas’ embrace. He settled down into it willingly, loving the feel of Cas’ arms around him as he moved the diaphragm on his chest again. A slightly different quality of thumping filled Cas’ ears, and he smiled, reassured. “Try turning it back over, Dean.”

Dean did so, albeit not having a clue why. “Is there a reason behind that, or do you just like messing with me?”

“Each side picks up different types of sound. You'll be able to hear more if you try both,” Cas answered succinctly, knowing Dean wasn’t really down for all the technicalities. “That’s the last valve: your pulmonary one. I think it’s my favorite.”

“Do they sound that different?” Dean couldn’t imagine the sounds from his heart could vary so much depending on where Cas listened to them, but apparently they did.

Cas kissed his neck again before answering. “Not _that_ different, but you start to pick up the differences after a lot of listening.”

“They don’t feel any different to me.”

“No…” Cas responded absently, nuzzling at the skin below Dean’s ear. “The movement of your entire heart is what you feel. You wouldn’t be able to distinguish between the valves inside your chest. Would you like to listen?”

He moved his head then to look down at Dean, and Dean twisted his neck slightly so that he found himself looking up into Cas’ eyes. Cas stared back, his gaze full of love and warmth, and Dean felt his heart flutter. As the noise reached Cas’ ears, he smiled, and Dean blushed in response. Cas was offering to let him listen to his own heart, and he found he was tempted. He’d never expected to enjoy this so much when Cas had first suggested it to him, and he’d agreed to it just to make Cas happy, but he really did like having his heart listened to. He was curious to know what it sounded like for himself. “Yes,” he breathed out softly.

The angel smiled down at him. “I want you to enjoy the sound of your heart as much as I do,” Castiel said, moving to take out the earpieces and then fitting them into Dean’s ears instead. “Here.” Dean was still staring up at him, having rolled slightly more onto his back to make things easier, and Castiel moved to take the bell from him. He positioned it against Dean’s chest at the best point for him to hear the thudding in his aortic valve, and Dean gasped as the low noise filled his ears.

Cas seemed thrilled by his reaction, and he steadily moved the bell around Dean’s chest so that he could hear all the different sounds of his heart. “Can you tell the difference now?”

Dean swallowed and nodded. “I guess…” He wasn’t too sure that he was making the distinctions as clearly as Cas could, but he was surprised by the way he could hear all the slight irregularities and flutters in his heart: a double beat here, a slight skipping there…minor but noticeable variations that made him both a little nervous and excited. This was what Cas loved hearing. “It’s getting faster, at any rate,” he commented.

Castiel licked his lips. “Intense, isn’t it? Hearing your own heartbeat?” he remarked. “Do you want to keep going?”

Dean wasn’t sure. “I don’t know…”

“You can listen as long as you like.”

“No, I think I’m done.”

“Okay.” Castiel reached down to take the earpieces off him, kissing his forehead as he did so. “There,” he murmured softly as he took control of the stethoscope again. “You can go to sleep now, Dean. Can I listen while you do?”

“Yes. Of course,” Dean answered readily, happy to let Cas hear his heart again as he settled himself down more comfortably in the bed.

After placing another kiss of gratitude to Dean’s temple, Cas fitted the earpieces in once more and then wrapped his arms around Dean, who closed his eyes and sighed in contentment as he felt the chestpiece placed once again on his skin. It was warmer now, both from their hands and the warmth radiating from his chest, and it felt comfortable as Cas settled it back over his apex, choosing that as the place to best listen to Dean’s slowing heart.

“Thank you for letting me do this, Dean.” Cas whispered as he heard the steady beating fill his ears once more, closing his own eyes to enjoy the sound of Dean drifting off to sleep, even if he wouldn’t himself. “Goodnight. I hope you sleep well”

“Goodnight, Cas,” Dean murmured back, feeling safe and content in Cas’ arms as he allowed himself to relax, his heartbeat growing slow and calm within his chest and in Cas’ ears as he drifted into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accompanying artwork, for abraxas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pencil and digitally repainted in photoshop. B&W + color + animation.


End file.
